Blog: Perspectives

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Introductory Webinar on the UNDP-led LGBTI Inclusion Index. Webinar will introduce the Index and outline opportunities to get involved in the consultation process to develop and refine indicators in five dimensions of LGBTI life: health, education, political & civic participation, economic well-being, and personal security & violence.

Neish McLean is Co-Founder and Executive Director of TransWave Jamaica, an organization in Jamaica that works to build the trans rights movement by raising awareness and increasing the visibility of transgender Jamaicans to improve the needs of the community. We spoke with Neish McLean about the formation of the organization, Jamaica Pride (#PRiDEJA), and more.

OutRight’s Communication’s officer, Rashima Kwatra, had the opportunity to sit with Chumaphorn Taengkliang, Founder of Togetherness for Equality Group (TEA Group), a member of the Thai LBT Network, to get a sense of the vision and mission of the organization and the environment facing LBT women in Thailand.

A short while back, we posted a compilation of the different flags of the LGBTIQ community on our Instagram account. We asked our followers to guess what each flag represents. Here, we’ll reveal the answers, and share some of the history and symbolism behind each flag. Of course, there are many more pride flags than our post includes, and many people take various positions about whether a flag properly represents their community or identity.

Reuters on July 31, 2017, reported that a police spokesman told local media, this past weekend, that about 40 "suspected homosexuals were arrested", and would soon appear in court to face charges. According to OutRight’s board member, Nigerian activist Michael Ighodaro, there is contradicting information out there about these recent arrests in Nigeria. But one thing is clear, there is a pattern starting to build.

The first PRiDE JA took place in 2015, becoming the first Pride celebration in the English-speaking Caribbean. The events have been incident-free for its first two years, and organizers hope to see participation from bigger crowds from across the Caribbean and the Diaspora at this year’s celebration. Same-sex sexual relations between males remain explicitly illegal in Jamaica, but advocates are hopeful that with increased awareness will come increased acceptance from Jamaican society.

Paola Paredes is an Ecuadorian photographer known for her focus on LGBTIQ topics. Her previous work includes Unveiled, a photo series documenting her coming out to her parents in a three-hour conversation. Paredes’ most recent photography project Until You Change, is based on interviews with three women who spent time in the clinics—pseudo-medical facilities meant to “cure” LGBTIQ people of their homosexuality.

In the previous blog post, Right to Development vs. Human Rights-Based Approach to Development, I posed an open-ended question: Is the debate between these two developmental ideologies largely abstract and rhetorical or are there economic implications to each approach?

Amidst a fully packed room, OutRight along with our partners held a side-event, “The Importance of Data in Ensuring LGBTI Inclusion in Agenda 2030,” as part of the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF).

A fundamental principle of the SDGs is to “leave no one behind,” a statement that indicates the inclusion of everyone, everywhere, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people. Recognizing that achieving a world free from poverty, where everyone is able to attain their fullest abilities, and where human rights and gender equality is prioritized, can only be accomplished when everyone is accounted for.